Glorification of HH Radhanath Swami
Бхакти Вигьяна Госвами · 2021
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O Magyanati Miranda Sya Gyanam Janna Sala Kaya, Chaksurun Militam Ya, Tsmay, Sri Guraven Maha, Sri Chaitanya Manovish Tamstapi tamjamebuta le, swaja, Rupak, Damah, Dada, Tisva Pandtikam, Vandham, Shri Guru, Sri Uta, Malam, Sri Guru, Vishnawam, Sha, Shri Rupam, Sagradam, Shaka, Rugna Tam, Vitaham, Sadgewam, Sadway, Savadutam Parijana Sahitam Krishna Chaitanya Devam, Sri Rada Krishna Padam, Sahabanala Lita, Sri Vishaka Vitamscha. E Krishna Karuna Sindho De Nabanthu Jagatpate gopesha gopikakantha Radha Kantana mostute Taptakanchana Gurangi Radhi Vrindavaneshwari, Vrishabhanu Suta Devi Pranamani Hari Priya. Vancha Kaupatarubias Chakripa Sindhu bevacha patitampavane bio, vaishnave byw na moha, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhunita Nanda, Sydvaita Gdata, sivasa de Gaura Bhakta Vrinda, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hari Ramahari Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Yanta pra dishi mammacha mamam prasuk So
uh thank you again for inviting me to speak in front of all of you. I don't know if I will be able to say something worthwhile, but I'll try my best. Approximately in one hour, I will have to finish this talk because it
so happened that I have a phone call with Guru Maharaj.
Radhanath Swami's first visit to Russia
So I have very serious excuse to stop this talk at a point in time.
As far as I could understand, I am supposed to share my experiences in dealings with Guru Maharaj and I will tell a little history which you perhaps don't know.
Guru Maharaj came to Russia for the first time in 1997 Silni Ranjana Marach invited him to come, and we were all very happy to receive him in Moscow. And initially he agreed to come just once.
He said, okay, once I'll come. Perhaps he wanted to see Moscow. He told me at that time that when he was a uh schoolboy, when he was in a school it was the uh actually peak of the uh cold war between Russia and America.
And he said that in all his classrooms there were special announcements: what to do if Russians will start attacking America.
And they had special bomb shells and all the precautions and they were trained how to act in case of atom bomb attack from Russia. At that time it was possible.
So actually, Gurumarach told me that he grew with this image of all Russians as evil people who are ready to kill everyone without any reason. But perhaps he wanted to change his opinion, that's why he came.
Otherwise, why would he come to Russia?
Anyway, Mirajan Maharaj, mostly as we all know, Guru Maharaj is a uh is very much relationship-oriented uh person and uh he has long-standing relationship with uh Silan Niranzin Marach and Niranzin Marach at that time was also uh GBC for Moscow and for Russia and for Ukraine for, some parts.
And he invited him. And the condition was that Guru Maharaj just comes once and speaks something, explains his experiences with Chopati Temple and successes. And that what he did, and everyone was very impressed.
Actually, at that time, Krishna consciousness in Russia had some sort of crisis. It was the beginning of crisis. The history of Krishna consciousness in Russia is very dramatic.
It started in the Soviet era where even the word religion of God were banned. You could only speak about God with small g, not with capital G, and only in context that He doesn't exist. I remember it very clearly. I
was taught in my kindergarten and school and then university years that you know there's no question of somebody called God to exist.
And at that very period, the Krishna consciousness in Russia started and of course it created very strong allergic reaction of the authorities
perhaps too strong and at that time devotees were put in prison, tortured and underwent immense, immense, immense suffering due to phase. But then around 88, 89, 88, 87 even, Russia opened up all of a sudden.
Of course we know that it was not all of sudden because in 71 when Śrīla Prabhupāda came to Russia for his first and only time he, predicted that this country will only last for 20 years.
And he was exact to the day, basically, because the Soviet Union was dismissed or dissolved in 1991.
So in 1987-88 peristroja started, glasna started, Gorbachev came to power, and the whole regime slackened, and devotees were more free to preach. And from that time onwards, specifically from uh 1989.
Uh the new page uh of the development of Krishna consciousness in Russia, it started with a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of new people coming because people in Russia were thirsty for something spiritual.
You know, millions of books were distributed within a very short period of time, really, literally millions of books.
It was not unusual that one book distributor would distribute, you know, 10,000 books a day just by signing up the whole factory. And it was a very. Blissful time. Many divorce were coming. Many books were distributed.
Special radio station was there in Moscow.
Crisis in Russian ISKCON around 1997
But then around 196 or 97, approximately 10 years after opening up, the crisis started building up. The initial enthusiasm was not working anymore. People felt little unprotected and insecure.
Devotees, I mean, because there was no social security.
In the beginning, devotees didn't care about it, and they thought, you know, we will distribute books till the end of our life, and then very soon, miraculously Krishna will turn the whole country into Krishna conscious country.
But by 1996-97 we realized that it's not going to happen so soon. So there was no immediate signs of it.
And you know the book distribution slowed down those book distributors who were there were not as effective as before, Krishna consciousness was not new anymore, and uh anti-cult
movement uh woke up and you know taking the lead of anti-Cultists from America, they started very heavy propaganda. It was mostly Christian-oriented propaganda against Krishna consciousness.
So many different factors, both internal and external, were there. So by the time when Guru Maharaj came, it was timely, what I want to say. When he came for the first time in 1997, I believe it was 97.
Yes, it must have been 97. If not 1996, but I think it was 97. His vision was very unusual
because the predominant philosophy at that time was just distribute books till you die, and that is the solution to all the problems.
But the doubts started to appear within devotees' hearts and minds, is it all what is needed? Because there was no internal development so to speak. Relationships were not so great.
Of course there was a lot of enthusiasm and that would kind of cover up the internal problems, but when the book distribution slowed down everything started surfacing.
So when Guru Maharaj came for the first time and started describing the system which was developed by that time in Chowpatty Temple, the counselor system, the different committees which were taking care of devotees' needs.
Introducing community care counselor systems
It was an eye-opener. Nobody could believe that this is this is happening, that this is possible, that this is Krishna consciousness even.
Because again, you know, we kind of inherited from the old olden days certain certain perhaps wrong conceptions and philosophies. The Zona Lachary for Russia was a very powerful and strong person and he was his
image was he actually was a very nice person. I know him and I I love him dearly. But his image was that he's against sentimentalism. His nickname was the killer of sentimentalism.
And sentimentalism was basically everything besides book distribution. If you do anything else, you're sentimentalist and you are not really a devotee.
You know, you should be a really tough guy with the book bag and you know with stern look in your eyes and you do it till you die. That's was the image that was his more or less uh his line of preaching.
And all of a sudden somebody comes in the position of authority, sannyāsī, who is naturally very respected in Russia, and starts speaking something very sentimental.
Start speaking about need of relationship, building community, taking care of devotees. So, for some people it was shock, for some people it was eye-opener.
And I was definitely one of those people who were very much impressed by Mahārāja's presentation. So, before he left, I earnestly approached him and I asked him without even you know hoping for too much, but
I asked him, can you come again? And uh continue the speaking or influencing the I really very much appreciated what he brought with him and his vision.
And I was thirsty. I wanted to hear more and I wanted to understand what we were supposed to do in practical life. And his first visit was very short.
To my surprise, even though he promised to Niranj that he comes just once. He immediately agreed. Without even thinking twice. And he immediately said, yes, I will come in two months.
So very soon, I don't remember the exact timing. At that time he himself was a little new to ISKCON in one sense. The Chopati Temple and his community just rejoined. So perhaps he was not that biassed.
But it was still it was totally unusual for an ISKCON leader not to have schedule completely packed for one year, you know. So and all of a sudden he he agrees to come within within a short period of time.
That's in itself was very shocking news.
And moreover, he came in winter time, which is not a very popular time among preachers to come to Russia, because uh it's not a very popular time uh you know to be among even Russian people, not to speak about foreigners, not to speak about people who live in India for for mm most of the time.
So his willingness and his openness and his desire to help really touched my heart at that time.
The 1998 ISKCON leadership crisis
But of course, the real test came exactly one year later. Because one year later in 1998, 98 is a very crucial date for the development of ISKCON in Russia.
And not only ISKCON, even the you know, there are similar processes on the level of the state as well.
In 1998, zonal ācārya of Russia from the previous time, of course, it was not zonal ācārya era, but still, it was pretty much the same mood.
So the Guru who was the guru for Russian ISKCON for a decade before during this underground time, and who was guru of all the first devotees who was very powerful leader and very powerful preacher who did so much for Russia, he kind of, you know, he had a crisis.
He had severe crisis and this crisis made him reconsider certain things and basically he resigned from the position of guru, from position of being ISKCON leader. And it was not a very smooth transition because
uh there was a lot of fanatical followers of Harikesha Maharaja. A lot of people who were really, you know, really personally devoted to him.
And with the mood which was prevalent at that time, perhaps you know philosophy was not the most popular word among devotees.
You know if you were speaking philosophy, you were labeled as a jñānī and not as a bhakta. Bhakta was supposed to be somebody who is only doing some service and distributing books.
And if you speak philosophy, it was not very much appreciated.
So there was a lot of people who were even though they were against sentimentalism, but they were very sentimentally devoted to a particular person, not without a reason definitely there was very serious reason for them to be devoted to him.
But his decision to resign from all the positions and his very strong words against ISKCON at that time created a huge crisis. You know, basically, the whole Russian ISKCON divided into not equal but almost equal parts.
Of course, there were disciples of other gurus like Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja, Prabhavishnu Maharaj, Bhakti Vaibhav Maharaj, Niranjan Maharaj, there were many many other gurus, but still the disciples of Harikesh Maharaj were the majority and many of them decided to follow
him so that happened actually on Janmashtami day in 1998 when the uh GBC resolution was released. It was exactly Janmashtami Day.
I don't know what they thought when they decided to publish this resolution on Jan mashtami Day. It was probably the worst day to publish it. The whole festival was spoiled.
And for a couple of thousand people, and were expected a couple of thousand people to come. So as a result, maybe 100 people came to this Janmashtami celebration.
It was the most spooky and strange and Janmashtami celebration in my whole life. And in the meantime, there was a revolution going on, there was a lot of people who were in guests, there was chaos.
And you know, I for me there was not really much choice. I knew that I'm not going to follow this.
Even though I was a very and I'm still very grateful to Harikesh Maharaj, and he really did a lot for me, and I'm personally very grateful to him, but I was not going to follow him. There was no question for me.
And immediately when it has become known that I am not going to follow him, I was I was labeled as a traitor and Judas. I was the one who really betrayed his master.
And you know, it was emotionally very difficult time for me because all my friends, or many of my friends, people whom I loved, they they became enemies all of a sudden and they started hating.
They were sending me some hate letters and some threats, even. You know, it was it was it was funny. It was really strange period of time. So Guru Maharaj came exactly at that time.
And it's interesting, you know, there was a huge crisis and some of the spiritual master GBC members they came to Moscow because they knew that their presence is vital.
But there were some others who said, "No, no, we're not going to be in this beehive," because ISKCON at that time in Moscow was a beehive, that's for sure.
Visiting St Petersburg during crisis
And you can be really beaten by the heavenly. So even some of the GBC and spiritual masters and leaders they decided not to come much more amazing is that Guru Maharaj decided to come exactly at that time.
He came just a couple of weeks later because he spent Radhashtami time, the most precious day of the year, in Russia, not only in Russia, in St. Petersburg, which was the headquarters of the revolutioners of those people who were opposed.
St. Petersburg Temple. Was taken over by all those people who all of a sudden broke his con and who took away. So you know I asked him if he can come and he immediately agreed.
Oh you know, of course, his his visit was planned.
But it was a very bold decision, and he told many times after that to me that Malati Devi was completely frantic, and she called him many times and she said, Don't go to Russia, don't go to Russia, don't go to Russia. And he said, No, I'm going to Russia.
And then she pleaded to him: okay, you can go to Russia, but at least don't go to St. Petersburg because it's very dangerous. So I met him in the airport and I said to him: tonight we're going to St. Petersburg.
That was my greeting to him. And again, despite the fact that Malati Devi, whom he respects so much, asked him not to go, he immediately agreed to go. So it was a very interesting Radhashtami day.
Niranjana Maharaj was there, Bhakti Brunga Govinda Maharaj was there, Guru Maharaj was there, I was there, and we were there. And all of us were cooking a feast for the devotees, Radhashtami feast.
So we decided not only to give some talk or lecture, we decided to cook the feast. And of course, Govinda Maharaj, as a professional cook, was the head of the whole team. But Guru Maharaj was also there.
I still remember he was doing some utas, and I was always correcting him. I was saying you're doing something wrong or whatever.
There was this interesting there still there are some pictures of uh uh all of us in the kitchen cooking for the devotees. Niranjana Maharaj was there, Guru Maharaj and Bhakti Brunga Govinda Maharaj and I was also there.
And some other people were there helping. It was a very good feast that much I remember.
And some utas were perfect. But the most interesting part which I wanted to tell you and share with you, which is very dear to my heart, happened a little later at this visit.
After this St. Petersburg visit, which was very intense.
Personal guidance and emotional healing
We went back to Moscow. And in Moscow, there was some free time. Free in a sense that you know because Moscow isskon uh you know the most the hottest time already finished, so there was not much to do in Moscow.
The whole ISKCON temple in Moscow was devastated. Very few people were coming, you know, disciples of other gurus were there. Anyway, so what happened?
We went with Guru Maharaj to outside of Moscow and stayed for a couple of days, two or three days in one house of a devotee rather wealthy person who provided his house for us to stay.
And for me it was a relief because, you know, for almost three weeks I was intensely. I mean I was... Emotionally I was broke. Sometimes I was crying. I couldn't understand what's happening.
It was such an emotionally difficult situation for me. Not so much because of the threats, I didn't really believe in the threats, but I couldn't understand what's going on.
Of course, later when I analyzed, I analyzed the whole position, I understood that it was in one sense it should have been expected because there were some problems and the problems were building up.
So the crisis which was was all deter and it was just a very dramatic manifestation of the crisis. If it was not for this, one way or another, this crisis would come. That's for sure.
Because there was some mistakes, there were some wrong conceptions and some wrong understandings. And uh the crisis must come. But it came in a very dramatic way, extremely dramatic way.
And I was I was exhausted, I was devastated, I was I didn't know what to do. So basically at that time Guru Maharaj he revived me.
I still remember very long walks in the nature in the forest when we were walking with him and were talking with him.
And at that time he started telling to me his own history, especially the part of his history which is not well known, when he was in New Vrindavan and all the events which were there when Kirtanananda Maharaj started deviating and introduced new dress, new services, new songs, everything new, new way of preaching.
Jesus Christ all of a sudden was there on the altar of New Vrindavan.
And he was telling me this whole story with all the details, the way he can tell the story, with all the details, with all the feelings which were there.
And then the most dramatic part of the story which he told me was about again the same similar situation which happened in New Vrindavan when Kirtanananda Maharaj was found breaking some regulative principles and he confessed to his god brothers, and his god brothers advised him to confess in front of the community.
But then he came to the disciples, and disciples told him, No, no, you are representative of God, you are impeccable, you're perfect, you're pure, it cannot happen to you.
It's just because all your envious God brothers, this is their influence. So, and he changed his mind 180%. You know, in the beginning he came and he very humbly admitted his faults, but then his fanatical
followers and disciples completely turned him against his God brothers and part of New Vrindavan community and the whole you know hell broke there. And you know, and Guru Maharaj told me what he went through
at that time, how he was all of a sudden nowhere because the followers of Kirtanananda Maharaj among whom there were Mafia leaders, they really threatened to kill him. And it was a serious threat.
In my case, it was not serious, but in his case, it was really serious. They told him: if we find you, we will kill him, you.
And they also told him at that time that you know and and at that time he was out of ISKCON. He couldn't come to ISKCON, he couldn't take shelter in ISKCON, and he lost his shelter in Kirtanananda Maharaj's group in New Vrindavan and other temples.
It was dangerous for him.
He told me at that time he had to take shelter in the original Gaudiya Math which was opened by Bon Maharaj or actually by Goswami Maharaj by Bhaktisāranga Gosvāmī Maharaj a disciple of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī in London.
One lady became his disciple, Goswami Maharaj's disciple, and she donated
her house to Gaudiya Math, and this house is still there, and this little temple is still there, and Guru Maharaj was hiding there because he was nowhere. And when I heard this story, it had amazing effect on me.
It actually revived me. Because as I said, I was totally devastated, 100% devastated. I couldn't understand why it happened. I couldn't understand why it happened with my spiritual master,
who was so pure and so powerful, and who was such a devoted follower of Srila Prabhupada? I couldn't understand why it happened to me personally.
And what am I supposed to do in this situation when the crisis more or less was over, you know, the whole ISKCON was devastated. So when he told me this story, it had an amazing effect on me.
First of all, I understood why it happened.
Because the way he described this story, I understood that this is not just an incident, something which doesn't have any, any reason, any cause behind it. to, any reason, any cause behind it. Something which just happens.
You know, the most difficult when we face some difficulties and when we think that these difficulties are just accidental that it just happens without reason, then it's very difficult to overcome these difficulties.
But when you understand that there is a law behind it, that there is a very huge intelligence behind it, and it's not happening by chance, it's happening because certain spiritual laws are violated,
they're not followed, then it becomes very intelligibly understandable. And I was really pacified when I heard this description. He didn't even draw the parallels, but the parallels were so obvious.
The way he was explaining, when he was explaining the inner, you know, the springs behind this, what was really behind the whole thing. And the dynamic was exactly the same.
And when I heard that the same thing happened in a different part of the world with a different person. But exactly the same thing. I realized there must be something which is very deep and profound why it happened.
There must be some profound cause why it happened. And by talking with Guru Maharaja, I started realizing what is the cause, how it works, and I became pacified. I became actually happy.
It's really amazing after such a dramatic event. I became completely happy because my faith was rebuilt by his description and by his involvement and of course by his personal care.
You know he was ready to spend long, long, long hours talking with me, explaining everything to me, just to save this one little tiny insignificant soul. And he did it. He saved me.
So when later on, one year later, when the question came about initiation, for me there was no question, it was very clear for me because he saved me at this most difficult time.
And he helped me to also support other people, other disciples. So this is one personal story which I wanted to share with you, which shows first of all his deep understanding of what's going on.
You know, one of his amazing and peculiar qualities is that he is he's a very deep person. And he, when something is happening, he doesn't see the surface of what is happening.
He's not superficial, he doesn't have superficial impressions. And usually, you know, all the crises which we have in our life happens because our perception is very superficial.
We live in a very superficial way, we don't really ask. When everything is nice, we superficially think that everything will go on the same way. And when something happens, we start asking these stupid questions.
Why did it happen? And if we were more thoughtful before, we would understand that this must happen. This is supposed to happen.
Remaining steadfast under social pressure
So at that time, he didn't only revive me and didn't only encourage me and rebuild my faith, but he also taught me how to how to extract lessons from everything which is happening.
And moreover, what I understood actually that the test which I was going through, even though it was very severe and dramatic, was nothing in comparison with the test which he was going through.
He told me the first thing which actually completely shocked me and amazed me, uh, you know, when he told me that during this difficult period of time in New Vrindavan before the condition of Kirtan Ananda Maraj was revealed. When Kirtan Ananda Maraj was still very, very strong and powerful leader and, everyone followed him, and even seven or eight hundred Prabhupada's disciples were his very loyal followers. And when he started introducing new dress, all these robes and everything.
You know, Guru Maharaj was the only one who didn't change the dress. And I thought how much faith one has to have to be under such a severe social pressure.
You know, and it's not just a normal society, it's a society of very totally loyal people, loyal followers of powerful leader and they all follow him and they all change the dress and here's
one who is going against the grain and who doesn't change the dress, who doesn't sing kīrtans in English, who still sings kīrtans in Sanskrit or there.
You know, I was thinking, you know, I would not be able to do it uh I I you know I probably would leave the whole place but he didn't leave the place and the most amazing thing actually, the most amazing thing happened
when I asked him why he didn't leave, uh, New Vrindavan at that time, even before, uh, the whole situation with Kirtanananda Maharaj was revealed.
Why did he remain for years in New Vrindavan even though he internally didn't agree with all these changes, internally didn't agree with the leader? And was not his loyal follower. Why did he remain?
Why at that time did he not come back to ISKCON? Because you know he wanted to follow Prabhupada, and ISKCON was still following Prabhupada, at least to a certain extent. So his answer actually shocked me.
Really shocked me. He said, because even at that time I knew what's going to happen with New Vrindavan. And I knew that there will be time when people who are there will need some shelter.
And I knew that these people will not go to ISKCON for shelter because it was so much antagonized. It was ISKCON and New Vrindavan were dead enemies, were arch enemies.
There was so much propaganda going on in New Vrindavan against ISKCON and ISKCON leaders, and ISKCON was also very much against the whole mood of New Vrindavan community.
So Guru Maharaj said to me something which really shocked me. He said, I knew even at that time, at that time means 90s, 91 probably, or 90, 89, you know, many years before this New Vrindavan changed its course.
I knew that people will need shelter. And if I am there and if they see me as a loyal follower of
Śrīla Prabhupāda, at that time perhaps some of them will come to me and will try to get support from me because they will not go to ISKCON and they will be shelterless here in New Vrindavan because it will be finished.
So I mean I was struck first of all by the power of his understanding. And that's something perhaps which I also should emphasize and stress.
You know, Guru Maharaj is so uncompromising because he has 100% trust and faith into the spiritual principles.
Something which Prabhupada said again and again and again, that this is not just a religion, this is not just faith, this is science.
And that's exactly what I realized when I heard Guru Maharaj when he described this whole thing. I realized that this is a science.
That this is not happening just because of some sentimental beliefs or disbeliefs or whatever or crisis or face. Because some fundamental principles are uh violated, are not followed.
And uh because they're not followed the crisis comes. And uh it has to be expected.
So I understood that there is a science, and because I'm conditioned by being a scientist, it was very pacifying to me to understand that this is spiritual science. That was proven by him.
But at that time when he told me about his understanding that this is what's going to happen, and that's exactly what happened in New Vrindavan.
When New Vrindavan was ultimately disillusioned and turned away from Kirtanananda Maharaj. Many many people came to Guru Maharaj for shelter.
And it was him, he was instrumental to bring the whole New Vrindavan community back to ISKCON.
And if he didn't stay at that time, if let's say he would come back to ISKCON at that time, you know, most probably New Vrindavan would not be part of ISKCON now. Most probably it would be completely lost, abandoned place or desolated place or whatever.
But because in the beginning of 90s he realized what's going to happen 10 years later and stayed, despite of all the you know unimaginable difficulties. Because I I can't understand, you know, I I was I joined
during this zonal acarya era and I know how fanatical the followers of zonal acaryas were. And to be in the society of these fanatical followers of zonal acaryas and visibly demonstrate his disloyalty to zonal acaryas.
I mean one has to be really strong. One has to be really convinced about the spiritual principles. That was a severe test.
When I heard all of this, I realized that you know the something which is going which is happening to me is just a little little grain of mercy from Krishna to me. More mercy I would not be able to be here.
But this much mercy was with the help of Guru Maharaj was digestible. More mercy was not, would not be digestible to me at that time.
So, and you know, there were some other occasions or instances where Guru Maharaj would come in the most difficult period of my life, very timely,
with all his stories, and usually the same sort of impression I would take or I would have after being with him and getting pacified by him you know, usually I I would feel a little ashamed because the feeling which I had in those occasions would be that he underwent through such unimaginable difficulties.
And still he is so happy and so enthusiastic and supporting so many people, giving shelter to so many people, giving shelter to me.
Why I can't uh uh you know take my difficulties with uh more dignity that I am taking now. So I'm personally obliged to Guru Maharaj for my spiritual life and I would say for my physical life as well,
because God knows what would happen with me if He didn't support me at that very difficult period of time. I don't know if we have what is the format.
Shall I ask for some questions or shall I continue talking a little bit? Because my time is almost over. Maybe perhaps I have ten more minutes to talk.
Brach Chandra Prabhu, maybe you can guide me at that moment of my talk. What should I say? If there is devotees have any question they want to ask? Can you just facilitate that? Say it again.
Maharaj, you can continue with your talk, Maharaj, for next five minutes. Okay. Okay. Okay, so yes, so this is this was a big chunk of what I wanted to say. Uh the other things perhaps are not so uh significant or important.
What shall I talk about?
Overcoming impersonalism through personal care
There were many different little instances here and there. Well, maybe a little bit, but I'm sure you I will not say anything new. You all we all know Guru Maharajan, we all know uh how personal he is.
Hridainana Maharaj has a very uh nice expression. He said uh we are uh philosophically we are not impersonalists but uh how to say habitually we are impersonalists.
We are we are not philosophical impersonalists we are but we still has impersonalism at heart. And that what it means, you know, we are impersonalists.
We we are too much self-centered and therefore we cannot relate in a personal way with other persons cannot empathise other people and cannot really support or help other people in a proper way.
Don't understand what's going on in their hearts. And uh Guru Maharaj by his own example he teaches us how to be personalist because we are the movement which is supposed to be personal.
Actually, once Guru Maharaj, I remember he said in India, you know, all the impersonalists, much more personal than all the devotees in the West.
Because if you meet with the Indian Mayavadis and Yasis it's they're very personal. They may be philosophically, they may be in person, but on a on a personal level they're personal.
But in the West, nihśeṣa-śūnyavādi, you know, it's so deeply rooted in the Western people that we're we're habitually impersonal.
So when Guru Maharaj comes and starts manifesting his personalism in a completely impersonal environment, it's so shocking to people and sometimes even annoying. I personally know it's annoying to me.
You know, I I sometimes I think, you know, of course I understand you should be person, but not to this extent. It's too much.
You know, when when for long hours, Guru Maharaj is just standing with people, signing the book, you know. After long lecture, after you know it's late, and he just came and the big program was there.
And there is a huge cue and he is there and he is till the last person comes with the book, he will be signing these books. You know, I'm my tolerance, you know, is exhausted long ago.
I'm saying to car driver, drive me home, I cannot stay here any longer. But he's there.
He is he's just and when he's doing this, you know, even when he's signing the book, he is even this little moment of signing the book, everyone knows it's a moment of personal contact. When you come close to him and he looks at your eyes and he signs something, or he asks what is your name and writes your name.
I mean it's so rare and it's so precious actually to meet somebody who is not artificially and not superficially personal, but personal in his heart and who relates to every person as a person, not as a function, and not as a resource, not as a you know whatever, but uh as a person.
And this is a very uh important lesson which I time and again try to learn from him but not every time with success because it's difficult.
It's difficult to always be a person and relate to others with the person because we want to, you know, treat others as some functions.
I am the only person, I am God. I'm here because I'm Īśvara, and everyone else is supposed to serve me.
So it's this sort of understanding or this sort of conception is totally absent or foreign from his heart and his consciousness. He's teaching us to be the same. And that's actually secret of the whole success.
Current state of ISKCON in Russia
So there were some questions I I saw. Yes Maharaj. Uh the question is what is the current state of Iskon in Russia and how Guru Maharaj is involved.
Yeah, we mm with the help of uh Guru Maharaj with the help of so many other senior leaders, disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda. The crisis was over.
You know, it was difficult time, but now I think we are in a much better position. We have beautiful land in Moscow, near Moscow, where we are going to build a retreat center.
We have a huge building in the center of Moscow, in a very central location of Moscow, around 30,000 square feet.
Very big substantial building with very good access accessibility, which we are gradually gradually turning into full fledged temple.
There are three brahmacārī ashrams in Moscow alone, if not four, with around probably hundred plus brahmacharis in Moscow alone.
There are beautiful communities being developed in St. Petersburg, in Omsk, where Mandaki Nidevi is very much involved. There is farm communities coming up, especially there in Omsk.
So the book distribution goes on. There was very good marathon this time. Many people are coming. Literally there are probably I don't know tens of thousands of people all over Russia, temples are being built.
The difficulties are there, problems are there, but it's it's nice time. Nothing in comparison with the period which I described. But there are difficulties.
Of course, the you know we're still kind of uh you know in uh uh among the religious organizations there are some organizations which are white and there are some which are black. And there are a few which are grey.
So we are in this grey grey area. The Russian government still look with a lot of suspicion in us, but tolerates us.
And of course, there are powerful religious communities which are against us, but we are trying to do something. And many people are sympathetic. Actually, people are very sympathetic. People are very receptive.
Russian people like reading books. Even now, uh although it goes little down, Russian people like Harinam. Before this pandemic here in Moscow every day there was three to four Harinams in different locations.
And on weekends there were you know probably uh ten or twelve different harinams. So it's uh nice you welcome to Russia, it's not dangerous anymore. Please come. St. Petersburg is a very nice place, historic place.
Ask them so you're most welcome.
Instructions on humility and spiritual laws
One more question. Yes. What instruction of Guru Maharaj you want all the disciples to follow? Well, we all know his most important instruction to be more humble than the blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree.
So I don't think I will say anything new to you. But that's the most important instruction, and it's eternal instruction. It doesn't change.
And this is the instruction, if you follow you will be successful because that's the foundation of spiritual science.
As I said, you know we're dealing with spiritual science, not with just faith or religion, with science. And the foundation of this science is this spirit of humility.
You understand everything, and you will be able to actually achieve something on this path if you follow this. So time and again he repeats this. I think there's only very few lectures when he doesn't repeat this verse Trinada Pisunit. Tṛṇād api suhīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā, so that probably everyone knows this verse.
But now it's the time to follow it. Besides that, you know this particular story which I told for me is very instructive because we have always to remember, we always should remember that there is a spiritual loss.
And they are even though they are subtle and perhaps you know yeah subtle and maybe not so perceptible, but nevertheless there are very strong spiritual laws.
And if you uncompromisingly follow these laws, even though initially it, you know, in for your intelligence it may, uh, you know, be not so not pleasing to mind and not acceptable for your intelligence. Nevertheless, if you follow them, you will be victorious. Because this is how it works.
This are the laws of God. This is dharma. And if you follow these laws of God, the subtle laws of God. And Dharma is very subtle.
But if you instill this dharma within your heart very strongly and follow it uncompromisingly, you will be victorious. The difficulties will be there, for sure.
There will be immense difficulties because you will be tested whether you really believe these laws of dharma, whether whether you really want to follow them uncompromisingly or you just pretend to do it.
There will be difficulties, there will be tests. But if you still unflinchingly follow these spiritual laws which are very simple, the law of truth. We have to be truthful.
And truthful means to believe in absolute truths and to follow the absolute truth. And we have to be loyal to our spiritual preceptors and have to be grateful. The law of gratitude is one very important spiritual law.
We shouldn't break this law and be ungrateful. We should be grateful. We should be loyal, truthful, humble. You know, these are all spiritual laws.
If you follow these laws, if we follow these laws, no matter how difficult it is, and it will be difficult sometimes to follow them because they are against this material world.
In the material world nobody follows them, or you know, very exceptional people follow them. But we have to have faith.
You know, if I follow them, even though it may not be you know acceptable for my intelligence or even understandable for my intelligence, why I should follow them, Krishna will make sure that you will be victorious at the end.
And this is what Guru Maharaj is teaching us by his personality, by his behavior, by his example, and by his instructions, personal instructions. One more, yeah, I can one more.
Maintaining faith during authority crises
Thank you very much for sharing all these personal incidences. It was very heart-touching to see your dedication to Śrīla Prabhupāda despite so many turmoils.
Sometimes a devotee faces a lot of loss of faith in superior, whom they trusted and loved so much. At such time it becomes difficult to repose faith on some other Vaishnava. What is the right attitude in this regard?
Thank you very much for this very deep and important question. First of all, you know we should still remain grateful to somebody who gave shelter to us. He may have some difficulties.
He may have he may have done something wrong, but we should remember all the good things which He did for us.
And you know, it doesn't mean that we have to blindly follow Him, it doesn't mean that we have to approve everything which he does. But if we remain grateful to him, the crisis will not be so severe.
You know we will not uh mm often times people are black and white, you know, either you're perfect and they kind of uh subconsciously demand or expect this from the authorities that the authorities have to be 100% perfect. If they are perfect we accept you and we glorify you and we exaggerate your glories.
But then the authority makes some little mistake, and all of a sudden somebody who was great personal representative of God in my life becomes you know somebody at best nobody, if not somebody very evil.
So you know if we have more balanced view, yes, the authority may be fallible. We are all fallible. We are all fallible souls. We are not acyuta. We are not akṣara, we are kṣara.
We are little tiny souls, we're prone to commit mistakes, we're prone to come under the wrong influence. If we have this understanding and we try to distinguish between the spiritual significance of person or spiritual qualities of a person which he actually has.
Any follower of Srila Prabhupada has spiritual credits. And if we try to remember about these spiritual credits and spiritual achievements and spiritual qualities which were developed in such a personality, the crisis of faith would not be so severe.
It will be difficult, still, it will be difficult, but it will be humanly understandable.
We will understand that this is such a person he has some human frailties, but nevertheless he was following Prabhupada, he had faith and he definitely has some faith still within his heart in Krishna and in spiritual life.
So if we remain faithful in this way to the spiritual science. You know, again I'm coming back to the same point. Then it will be easy for us to find somebody who follows the science.
If we understand, here is the science, and here is the person who was maybe not so perfectly following it, and while he was following it, he was giving me shelter, he was giving me help, he was inspiring me.
But then he deviated a little bit from this science, and this is what happens. So, but uh there is nothing wrong in it because the science remains the science. It remains the truth.
The person may be wrong, but it doesn't mean that the science or the way he was following is wrong, and I still should follow the same way, and I should find somebody who follows this science perfectly, and in this way get his shelter.
Or maybe not perfectly, but at least follows to a greater extent, and then it will not be difficult.
Again, difficulty comes when we are not dedicated to the truth, when we are not dedicated to the science or the absolute truths, but when we are dedicated to personality. And that basically means personality cult.
And that means not Shastriya Shraddha but Lokikashradha.
We follow somebody because he has such a position, because he has such influence, charisma, and because he has so many followers, and then he deviates and something revealed, being revealed, and uh we become completely devastated.
Why? Because we placed our faith in the wrong place initially.
If we would place our faith in His following the spiritual science and in his dedication to truth, his deviation would not be devastating to us because you know the truth remains.
And while he was dedicated to truth, he was giving us shelter, now he cannot give us shelter just because he deviated from truth himself.
Therefore, the logical conclusion is that I should find shelter in somebody who is following. So what's the difficulty?
But because we were more into the personality, not into the truth, therefore, it's very difficult for us to to kind of rebuild our faith and trust, but if we were dedicated and devoted to the truth, It's not so difficult.
Okay? Okay. Thank you very much. Now I really have to go because otherwise I will be late for the phone call. Thank you very, very much. Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jī! Śrīla Rādhānātha Mahārāja ki jī! Hare Kṛṣṇa. Yeah.